Source: AllAfrica.comBy Pius RugonzibwaThe government will instal special scanners at the ports to facilitate timely detection and confiscation of elephant tusks that are intended for export. Natural Resources and Tourism Deputy Minister Lazaro Nyalandu said that apart from the scanners, it has been decided that from early next year, all staff at the ministry, including forest and game rangers, will receive special training on how to confront poachers. Mr Nyalandu, who made a brief visit at the Selous Game Reserve, said his ministry has already contacted the ministry of transport over the ambitious plan aimed at containing massive killing of jumbos. "We have already communicated with our colleagues at the transport ministry on the plan in which the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) will instal the scanners, as the present ones cannot effectively detect tusks concealed in the containers," he reported. On 'Operation Tokomeza' he said the exercise has forced the ministry to revisit the code of conduct, which governs staff and rangers on how to effectively conduct future operations against poachers. The move towards initiating training on codes of conduct comes in the wake of a report tabled in the Parliament by a probe team that revealed a number of controversies and immoral acts during the implementation of the first phase of the operation. But despite the tabling of the report on 'Operation Tokomeza' by the parliamentary team, sources indicate that it has revealed many issues that needed to be crosschecked. Serious Game Reserve Chief Warden Benson Kibonde said it was important that the second phase of the operation conducts inquiries with the game reserve staff, who have a lot to share on how poaching and sabotage of natural resources can be checked. Astonishingly, he said the parliamentary probe team didn't summon any staff for inquiry on the matter. He admitted the steep decline in the number of elephants in the game reserve due to poaching, with current statistics showing there are now only 13,500 jumbos. More....

Source: Deccanherald.comBy Avani Kumar VermaIt is the usual tiger time again. On the one hand, the media, people and officials are going ga-ga over few direct tiger sightings reported from all over India in the ongoing Tiger Census.

On the other are the grim reminders of the human-tiger conflict that has resurfaced in the form of recent happenings in Bandipur and Nagarhole National Parks in Karnataka which have reported five cases of human killings by tigers in the last one month keeping the authorities and villagers on tenterhook.

The problem seems to be far from over despite catching one such alleged murderous animal. These incidents have prompted the state government to undertake a long over due measure of setting up a dedicated staff of sharp shooters and trained departmental vets to tackle above type of exigencies. This ought to have been done long back. Nevertheless this step will instill confidence among people in the villages living on forest fringes that have been on war path with the forest department. Then there were media reports in Karnataka of about 400 cameras being donated by a global tech service provider for fixing them in one of the prime national parks of the state to ostensibly closely monitor the health and well-being of the 60-odd tigers reported to be living in the above-mentioned national park. It is a moot point whether such an invasion in the privacy of tiger land is ecologically and scientifically desirable. There is another small matter that some of such donors have tourism and resort running interests. But these are beside the point.

What is noteworthy is that the tiger management is becoming high tech with the use of camera traps, GPS path finders, DNA mapping and the likes becoming essential tool-kits of the foresters and wild life managers. And why not? Are we not living in the age where technology is paramount and not seen being with it would make one feel not only out of the league but would perhaps be suicidal. So it is good that a lot of emphasis is being given to technology in wild life management in general and tiger management in particular.

But it would be of utmost importance to not only train and upgrade the skills of the staff in the usage of the modern tools but also in its proper maintenance. More....

Source: Thehindu.comBy R. Krishna Kumar ‘Those held on Sunday could be part of a wider network’ Anti-poaching camps at Bandipur have stepped up their vigil inside the national park following the arrest of 10 people from near the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday.Those held for poaching are from Madhya Pradesh. Wildlife activists suspect that they could be part of a wider network that may have spread its dragnet in the south, as similar gangs from Katni and Satna, also in Madhya Pradesh, were nabbed a few years ago from Nagarahole.All 46 anti-poaching camps operating inside Bandipur are on high alert. The area under each camp’s jurisdiction is being combed to ascertain if there are snares or other traps for wild animals.InstructionsConservator of Forests H.C. Kantharaj, who is also the Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, told The Hindu that instructions were issued to Range Officers and other field staff to ascertain the presence of nomadic communities or those living in tents close to the forests, and question them.A gang of tribal people from Odisha were found camping in the border village of Hangala last month. Forest Department officials seized monitor lizards and other animals that were trapped by them.Cases“We took them into custody and registered cases for violating the Wildlife Protection Act as they were found to be in possession of wildlife derivatives,” Mr. Kantharaj said.Tiger claws and whiskers were seized from those nabbed from R.S. Doddi, which is close to the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. Even if they are small-time gangs, they could be the first line of operators in the complex multilayer network of poachers and their clients in the illegal trade of wildlife derivatives, according to officials. More....

Source: Thebhutanese.BTBy Tanden Zangmo The three-day annual forestry conference held in Samtse from December 19 to 21 resolved to combat wildlife crime and poaching more stringently. Participants at the conference, constituting of about 180 foresters and conservationists from all parts of the country, felt that there is an urgent need to improve enforcement of forestry and wildlife regulations. Participants also expressed appreciation towards the commendable tasks being carried out by the Forest Protection and Surveillance Unit (FPSU) of the Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS). The unit, in collaboration with all forest territorial divisions and park management, monitors, apprehends and compounds all cases related to illegal timber and poaching cases in the country. However, many felt that there is an immediate requirement to improve forestry and wildlife enforcement since it entails various issues. The conference, as a congregation of all policy makers and enforcers, is considered to serve as the right platform to deliberate and dovetail anti-poaching plans into making it more effective and daunting for the offenders. “Combating wildlife crime and poaching is a very sensitive issue and must be dealt with very cautiously,” said one of the participants. He added the conference is the right forum to brainstorm and come up with effective tactics that could help in bringing down the cases of wildlife crime. The conference, after in depth discussions, adopted that the existing capacity of the surveillance unit be strengthened. This will be done through deployment of more qualified and experienced staff in the unit. Participants shared that the shortage of staff is one impediment in curbing and curtailing the crime. The conference also recognized informant networking or whistleblowers as one critical component of fighting wildlife crime. The participants at the conference felt that more than the forestry officials, it is the secret spy and informant who gain more access to secret plots that are being hatched within the confinement of closed door. More....

Source: AllAfrica.comBy Pius RugonzibwaSixty elephants have been killed in less than two months after the controversial 'Operation Tokomeza' was suspended last month and the government plans to seek international intervention to check poaching in the country. Deputy Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Lazaro Nyalandu revealed to reporters in Dar es Salaam on Sunday that the massive and wanton killing of elephants are reported shortly after the Parliament reacted against the operation. "We have come across new records where 60 elephants have been killed from November 1 to date, compared to the entire 'Operation Tokomeza' period in which only two elephants were killed," he reported. Following the resumption of killings and other acts of sabotage targeting the country's natural resource wealth, Mr Nyalandu announced several measures, including seeking international interventions, which will involve organs such as the International Police, Interpol. According to the deputy minister, other international partners to be approached include the European Union (EU) and some Asian countries where elephant tusks and other resources are suspected to be smuggled to. He said the government was also in the final stages of seeking expertise of some international systems that are recognised countrywide in combating international crimes like drug smuggling. Announcing local strategies in the absence of 'Operation Tokomeza,' which has been temporally halted, Mr Nyalandu said a facebook page has been designed for regular and timely dissemination of information and tip-offs on poaching acted. This will be followed by the establishment of a twitter account for the same purpose in the near future. "We are also dispatching more officers from the headquarters to the game reserves as well as seeking more funds so that more forest rangers and game rangers are employed to reinforce operations," he pointed out. Apart from reinforcing the available workforce, the deputy minister cautioned the staff to abide by regulations and code of conduct governing their operations, including observing human rights to the maximum when dealing with offenders. He mentioned areas recently reported to have been invaded with poachers as the reserve forests of Selous, Rungwa, Burigi, Katavi and Ngorongoro. More....

Source: Stuff.co.NZBy Jacquie Webby The poaching of game animals on privately owned hunting estates and game parks has reached a new low, according to long-time hunter and operator of Mt Cook Trophy Hunting, Neville Cunningham. Recently, Mr Cunningham came across the grisly remains of a wapiti stag which had been shot on his property and its antlers sawn off. "Whoever killed it just cut off the velvet, which was worth about $500 on the black market and left the rest," he said. "I felt sick. It was just sheer greed." Poaching at game estates and farms was not new, Mr Cunningham said. "It has been going on since the days of Robin Hood. "If someone is hungry and needs to feed his family, I have no problem, come and ask me and I will take them out and show them which animal to shoot. "But to shoot a stag, saw off the velvet and leave the rest, is unforgivable." Not all poachers moved by foot or vehicle, Mr Cunningham said. "Some are cheeky enough to fly in by helicopter, shoot the deer and then winch it out," he said. "Some are also hardened, seasoned hunters who see this [poaching\ as a perk of the job. This type of theft gives every honest professional and recreational hunter a bad name." Efforts to counteract poaching have included some trespass orders plus warning signage and surveillance cameras which track human and vehicle movement. But, as Mr Cunningham said, poachers ignore signs. "We do have some images from the surveillance cameras which may provide some valuable information," he said. "If we get to a prosecution, I hope they get a stiff sentence. Unfortunately, there is a small sector, probably about 1 per cent, who seem to think it is their right to steal and they spoil it for the honest people."

Source: Dailymail.co.ukBy Rakesh DixitLakhs of migratory birds have turned Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lake straddling three Orissa districts, into a plumed wonder.

But even as three lakh birds from across the globe have arrived in the lagoon, spread over Khurda, Puri and Ganjam districts, the fear of poaching continues to haunt the winged beauties. According to officials the 1,000 sq km lake, about 100kms from the state Capital, is hard to monitor by wildlife officials because of its huge spread. Chilika divisional forest officer (DFO), B P Acharya said this year patrolling has been intensified at the lake. "We have already set up 17 camps in villages near the lake to protect the birds from being hunted," he said adding that the camps were being manned by over 50 forest personnel.

Around 150,000 birds were sighted at Nalaban Island, the core area of the lake where the bird sanctuary is located.

Around the same number have also been seen in other parks of the water body which is a protected wetland site.

Most of the winged guests have arrived from areas as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea, Russia, Mongolia, central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and the Himalayas.

At least 156 species of birds have been spotted in the lake so far. Of these 52 are local bird species. Photos.

Source: TelegraphIndia.comForest guards at the Burapahar range of Kaziranga National Park last night foiled a poaching attempt of another rhino and managed to kill one of the poachers, who is yet to be identified. The Burapahar range has faced the maximum number of poaching incidents this year with at least 12 out of the 28 rhinos killed in the park being killed in this range or in its vicinity. Ranger Jinaram Bordoloi said acting on specific information, he had formed a special group of security personnel to take on the poachers. “We heard that a group of poachers would make their way into the park from Karbi Anglong after crossing the Burapahar hills. A special squad was formed and we took position near Difloo Kukurakata which overlooks Shikari Dandi, a trail often used by hunters and poachers even in the bygone days, at 8pm,” he said. Soon after they heard a rustling sound and bullets flew past them. “I don’t know if they were firing at us or at an animal. We could not see anything because of the darkness and fog. However, we retaliated after that and the gunfire on both sides continued for about 10-15 minutes before everything fell silent. When we came down from our vantage point, we found the dead poacher,” he said. An axe and nine empty cartridges of AK-47 rifles were found from near the poacher. Eight empty cartridges of .303, .315 and self-loading rifles were also found. Bordoloi said the empty cartridges of SLRs, .303 and .315 rifles were most likely from their guns while the empty cartridges of AK-47s belonged to the poachers. He could not say how many poachers were there in the group. The slain poacher, about 25 years of age, was clad in a vest and a pair of shorts. There are about 1,200 personnel guarding the park, which include forest guards, boatmen and the newly created Assam Forest Protection Force. According to the rhino census carried out at the Kaziranga National Park in March, it was found that the number of one-horned rhinos in the park has increased to 2,329 compared to the figure of 2,290 according to last year’s census. According to official figures, the total rhino population in Assam stands at 2,544. Kaziranga, a designated Unesco World Heritage Site, has an area of more than 800 square km, which includes a core area of 430 square km and new additions in the north bank of the Brahmaputra. The four other ranges are Agaratoli, Kohora, Bagori and the Northern.

Source: Kantipuronline.com The Nepal Army has begun a special action to control the poaching of wildlife in the Chitwan National Park . The Central Division of the NA said a special force of 200 army personnel had come from the Headquarters for the action. According to Division Head Sundar Pudasaini, the manpower was now under training. It is the time the poaching is upped, so the special force was being mobilised, he said, adding various battalion and companies would also follow the special force. The special action would remain watchful of the illegal activities on entry points. The special force equipped with ultra modern technology would continue till coming June. The patrol would also be conducted from vehicles and by helicopter. There are 503 rhinoceros and 125 spotted tigers in the Chitwan National Park now.

Source: Coastweek.comA wildlife ranger attached to Isiolo complex in the Kenyan northern frontier was on Monday arrested for involvement in a series of poaching activities. The Isiolo County Game Warden, Michael Gichure revealed that the officer had been colluding with criminals responsible for wildlife poaching in the region. “We suspected the officer for a long time and have now managed to arrest him after obtaining credible evidence linking him to poaching,” Gichure told the journalists. He said that an elite paramilitary squad tracked mobile phone conversation between the arrested officer and poachers. Gichure disclosed to the journalists that intercepting phone calls helped unearth a well established syndicate behind Rhino poaching in the Kenyan northern frontier. The officer together with a suspected poacher caught with an elephant tusk in Isiolo town on Sunday night will be arraigned in court soon. Gichure confirmed that the 11 suspects arrested with eight riffles and 197 rounds of ammunition at Isiolo barrier on Sunday night were on a poaching mission to Solio ranch in Nyeri County. “Our intelligence officers from a special squad leaked the information about the suspects to the police before they were intercepted near the barrier on their way to Nyeri to undertake poaching,” said Gichure He added that the suspects were ferrying lethal arms to poach for the rhino horns whose demand has spiked recently. The security agents managed to recover an assortment of arms that included five AK 47 riffles, two G3, M16 riffle and197 ammunitions. “We received information that the suspects were planning to ferry the arms to Nyeri in order to commit heinous crimes over festive season,” said Gichure. He assured the public that wildlife rangers were pursuing suspects who were still at large and could be plotting to commit wildlife crimes during the holidays. According to Gichure, the anti poaching paramilitary squad will intensify patrols during Christmas and New Year festivities to deter this criminal activity. “Let me warn poachers that our security agents will be vigilant throughout the festive season,” Gichure intoned.

Source: FocusTaiwan.twBy Chen Shou-gow and Kay LiuA Chinese fishing boat was detained Thursday night for allegedly poaching in waters off of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen County, the latest in a series of reports of Chinese fisherman encroaching into Taiwanese waters.

Coast Guard officials in Kinmen said Friday that the detained boat, registered in nearby Chinese city of Xiamen, was one of a group of vessels discovered in waters between Kinmen Island and the smaller islet of Lieyu.

Three Chinese fishermen, along with their boat, Minxiayu 5176, were taken back to Lieyu and had their fishing equipment confiscated, officials said.

Coast guardsmen said they have stepped up patrols after receiving tips as recently as Wednesday that Taiwanese fishermen have been attacked by trespassing Chinese vessels.

Fisherman have said that Chinese poachers, who come to the area to catch yellow-colored varieties of fish now in season, intentionally rammed Taiwanese ships and threw rocks, according to local media reports.

In addition to increased patrolling, the Coast Guard said it will ask Chinese authorities to help prevent such situations through existing communication channels.

Governed by Taiwan, the Kinmen island chain is located just kilometers off of China's coast.

Source: TimesofIndia.Indiatimes.comBy Sunitha Rao R.In a month's time, any movement within the 650 sq km area of Nagarahole tiger reserve will be captured with the help of 400 cameras to be fixed. On Thursday, the initiative was launched with the assistance of CSS Corp, a global technology services company donating 200 cameras to the ministry of Forest, Government of Karnataka, in the phase-1 of the project. By the end of January 2014, the cameras will start functioning in the tiger reserve. T G Ramesh, CEO of CSS Corp handed over a scouting camera to Ramanath Rai, minister for forest. Speaking at the occasion, Ramanath Rai said that such initiatives will help the ministry in improving the system at tiger reserves. "As it can constantly capture the movement of tiger or any specie in tiger reserve, it helps the department in conducting research," Rai said. The forest department will install the cameras across the national park in suitable metallic enclosures that protects the cameras from being damaged by elephants or other animals. The department will also be training the forest guards on using the cameras. The photographs taken by the cameras will have to be downloaded once in five days by transferring the images through the memory chip. The camera can also help in tracking smuggling, theft of forest resources

"Forest has always attracted me as a wildlife photographer. Tiger is at the apex of the eco-system and its conservation is a must, To begin with we are giving 200 cameras in phase 1. Besides, for the phase 2, additional 200 cameras will be given. We are also providing a jeep for the forest guards to collect the pictures from the cameras once in five days," said T G Ramesh. How does it work? The cameras are equipped with infra red motion censors, which can be triggered at once by any movement, in a certain region of interest monitored by these cameras. They automatically capture high quality pictures, (upto 8 mega pixel) or records video clips according to preset customer settings. More....

Source: Fijitimes.comBy Salaseini MoceiwaiThe festive season is no time to relax for the Fisheries Department in the Northern Division as it beefs up on sea and land patrols. Principal Northern fisheries officer Joji Vakawaletabua yesterday said they were focusing their patrols on poaching and the selling of under-sized fish this festive season."Daily inspection at the Labasa fish market is because we don't want vendors to be selling under-sized fish," he said."We have been informing vendors that selling under-sized fish is illegal and those caught can be penalised."At this time, vendors can be tempted to sell under-sized fish given the high demand but we are warning them this is against the law.""Also our officers have been reaching out to villagers and islanders to create awareness of poaching."This is something we are trying to control as we continue to receive reports of poaching in the region."

Source: Ippmedia.comBy Gerald KitabuA thunderous wheezing sound from a group of hippopotamuses floating on Katuma River near Sitalike village could be heard as we entered the Katavi National Park in Mpanda district, Katavi region enthralling Bishop Charles Gadi of the Dar es Salaam based Good News for All Ministry. He braved the scotching sun capturing every event that was taking place in the River. Katuma River is the vital lifeline of the Park which feeds Lake Katavi in the north and Lake Chada in the centre as well as the huge Katisunga floodplain. In recent years, apart from being used as the source of water for varieties of wild animals, has also become home to thousands of hippopotamuses and crocodiles. Despite being the third largest National Park in Tanzania, Katavi national park was not even known to many people in the country. After getting out of the vehicle to take some photos a group of journalists could see hundreds of grunting hippos murmuring and squeezing themselves into the muddy water. It was journey full of joy, sympathies, friendship, and laughter. Casual glances at trees along the road that crossed the river from Mpanda town to Sumbawanga district, Rukwa region, journalists could see birds swaying smoothly on feeble branches preening their feathers excitedly as they prepared to play on the soft backs of the hippos. Beautiful vegetation and green environment inside and around the national park, has attracted a variety of huge animals, plants and birds species. As he was strolling further through tall green grasses, incredible scenery that include immense wetlands, roaring waterfalls and original miombo woodlands, where the sable antelopes often hide, were enough charm to journalists. However, despite all the wonders that are actually key to attracting tourism in the park which earn foreign currency for the nation’s economy, the national park is faced with several challenges both inside and outside it. More....

Source: Business-standard.comIncreased surveillance in the over 480 sq km Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary at nearby Shenbagathopu has started yielding results by way of fines from poachers, District forest officer Ashok Kumar said today.

He said the forest department had acted tough against poachers and had collected Rs 11 lakh fine from them.

The sanctuary also houses Tigers,Elephants,leopard and deer

He said the frequency of surprise checks had been increased and a total of 83 cases registered in 2012 and 2013. The quantum of fine had been increased to check the poaching.

He said closed circuit cameras had also been installed to monitor forest areas and more tough action would be taken in the coming months to totally prevent poaching. Cases hadbeen registered in Rajapayalam, Srivilliputhur and sivakasi areas, he said.

The sanctuary is contiguous with Periyar tiger reserve on the south-western side and Megamalai reserve forest on the north-western side.

It is home to the endangered, arboreal grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macrora. This greyish brown squirrel weighs from 1 kg to 1.8 kg and is in the size of a small cat. It measures about 735 mm long from nose to tail, with the tail measuring from 360 mm to 400 mm long.

These squirrels construct drays at forked branches where crowns of neighbouring trees meet,enabling them move away from the site by jumping from tree to tree when threatened, says the forest department.

Source: Wildcard.co.zaBy Sharon van WykSouth African National Parks (SANParks) has been warned that the scourge of ivory poaching currently affecting the rest of Africa is likely to hit South Africa in 2014 according to Dr Hector Magome, SANParks Managing Executive: Conservation Services.

“At CITES (Convention for The Trade in Endangered Species) held in Bangkok in March we were warned that elephant poaching is going to hit us like an avalanche as early as January next year,” says Magome. “As such, at our rhino poaching strategy meeting in September we adopted a dual strategy approach focusing on both rhino and elephant poaching in order to properly prepare.”

The recent cyanide poisoning of elephants in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park has done much to alert the world to out-of-control ivory poaching, which is currently killing as many as 100 elephants a day – one every 15 minutes or an estimated 32 000 elephants per annum. Closer to home, it has focused SANParks on the need to adequately protect the elephants in its care from a similar fate, given the rhino losses it is currently experiencing.

Reeling from the onslaught of rhino poaching syndicates, which has seen rhino numbers decimated in its flagship property, the Kruger National Park, SANParks has beefed up its anti-poaching unit in Kruger under the leadership of Major General Johan Jooste. But while the eyes and ears of the park are focussed on protecting rhino, are Kruger’s elephants – among them the last remaining huge tuskers – tempting targets for ivory poachers?

The northern reaches of Kruger abut Zimbabwe and Mozambique, both countries where ivory poaching is out of control. From the Limpopo River down through swathes of seemingly endless mopane to the regional ranger station at the Phalaborwa Gate, there are fewer roads than in the park’s tourist-intensive south, which makes the task of patrolling all the more difficult for Kruger’s custodians.

Crook’s Corner is positioned at the confluence of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers, where South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique meet. It used to be a haven for gun-runners and poachers at the turn of the 20th century and it was here that legendary ivory poacher Cecil Barnard took refuge from the authorities in the 1920s. Some believe that this is where modern ivory poachers will start targeting the huge elephant herds that often congregate in this part of the Kruger Park, as well as along the open border with Mozambique that has proved so problematic in the battle against rhino poaching. “Our Mozambican counterparts are apparently losing three elephants a day to poachers at the moment,” says Magome, acknowledging that the actual losses could be much higher. More....

Source: TimesofIndia.Indiatimes.comBy Prabin KalitaPoaching has always been one of the biggest threats to the famed one-horned rhino of Assam, but not many are aware that a huge number of the endangered animals are dying natural deaths. An average of 50 rhinos die naturally in the state every year, an official statement has said.

In a written reply to a query by AIUDF legislator Abur Rahim Khan, forest minister Rockybul Hussain on Friday said since 2001, at least 1,002 rhinos have died natural deaths in wild habitats while four have died in the state zoo. Seventy-five rhinos have died naturally this year, 74 in the wild and one in the zoo.

On the other hand, 170 rhinos have been killed by poachers since 2001, said the forest minister. He added that 40 rhinos have been killed by poachers this year, the highest in the last 13 years.

According to the last census in 2012, the population of rhinos in the state was 2,500. The wild, protected habitats of rhinos in the state are Kaziranga National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajib Gandhi Orang National Park and Manas National Park.

Hussain informed the house that of the 1,002 natural deaths, 112 occurred last year, which is the highest in this period; 111 in 2008; 107 in 2004; 86 in 2007; 75 in 2005; 72 in 2011; 71 in 2010; 66 in 2003; 65 in 2002; 63 each in 2006 and 2009 and 37 in 2001.

In his letter, Hussain also said that the state government has submitted proposals to the Centre for installing electronic eyes, night-vision binoculars and unmanned aerial vehicles to keep an eye on poachers and track their movements.

Source: Thehindu.comThe Forest Department will launch a special combing operation in the forests of Sattari in north Goa on Friday after a leopard was found dead at Bramhakarmali, Sattari due to trap laid by unidentified poachers. This is the second case within three days where unidentified poachers in the area had trapped a leopard leading to its death.

Source: TimesofIndia.Indiatimes.comBy Vijay PinjarkarForest minister Patangrao Kadam on Thursday chose to ignore queries on fixing responsibility on senior forest officials in poaching of tigers this year, but his aides insist that ordering CBI probe in poaching was his masterstroke to make forest officials work.

Even after the state government issued a notification in August handing over tiger poaching probe to CBI, the investigating agency has not yet started a probe. During this period, around 30 poachers have been arrested by the forest department.

"Ordering a CBI probe was a masterstroke by Kadam to put officials on their toes. They (officials) nabbed so many poachers out of the fear that if CBI intervenes, they would be in trouble," sources close to Kadam told TOI on Friday evening.

The poaching probe gained momentum only after a CBI probe was announced, they said. This can be true, as for the past two months officials have just been diplomatically saying that the CBI was collecting papers.

Though Kadam was mum on action against officials, he said the department has drawn up a plan to check poaching menace. "I agree that poaching problem cannot be eliminated overnight, but steps like increasing patrolling in non-protected areas, intelligence gathering and improving living conditions for field staff, like good quarters, better health facilities and education for kids will be taken up, so that staff stay at the headquarters," said Kadam.

He added that Rs 3-4 crore annual budget for quarters and staff welfare will be kept aside. A CAMPA committee has been set for this. Development of such facilities has already started in sensitive Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Thane districts.

Principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi said increasing number of offences in tiger poaching will mean inviting more poachers to the region. Even if 30-40 tigers were poached, after detection by officials poachers are now avoiding Maharashtra and are being traced to other states, he said.

However, sources said many poachers involved in the crimes at Melghat were nabbed from Pune. Even now there are many Baheliya camps near Pune.

Kadam did not give much weightage to Gorewada zoo project, whose cost has escalated to a point of no return, but said the rescue centre will come up. He also said a MoU has been signed between MAFSU and FDCM to set up a wildlife veterinary research centre at Gorewada.

Earlier in the day, Kadam reviewed progress of irrigation projects stuck for forest land diversion. Two days ago, water resources minister Sunil Tatkare had blamed the Congress for these stalled projects.However, Kadam said since 1980, when Forest Conservation Act (FCA) came into force, 15,120 hectare forest land has been diverted for 218 irrigation projects in Vidarbha. This is 43.62% as compared to diversion of land in other parts of the state.

Source: Khon2.comBy Gina MangieriHawaii's green sea turtles are an endangered species, but some poachers are breaking state and federal law. It's an often gruesome crime that threatens decades of efforts to protect them from extinction.Authorities know poaching happens, but proving it and catching the culprits isn't easy.Green sea turtles basking on Hawaii beaches or cruising in the ocean -- the rule is look but don't touch. Still, many can't resist the urge to reach out with what they think is care. Others cross the line to obvious mistreatment, while at the worst, poachers hunt an endangered species."Everybody thinks that they're being eaten," says concerned Makaha resident Inez Larson, who has taken on the cause of alerting her community to suspected turtle violations. “Witnesses have seen it on other beaches, people cleaning the turtles out on the beach, gutting them out, putting the meat in the cooler and then walking away with the shell and the meat."She and others have tried to form watch groups."My room is right next to the trail,” says Kainalu Medeiros, who lives near a beach lane in the Makaha area. “Late at night I can hear the cars pull up. Twice I caught guys carrying a turtle that way, they never did come over here. I ran after one of them but he got away.""You come here in the morning every other day there are tracks either from a cooler being dragged or the turtle being pushed,” Larson says. “They take them from where they bask there and they just drag them up the rocks.""Lately it feels like there are less turtles,” says neighbor Angela Arbuckle. “Some nights we could see 4, 5 6 beach, and then there's nights where there's one or none, some nights with none my instinct would say that there's danger here."“There is concern among the neighbors,” Arbuckle adds. “I wake up often with an unsettled commotion that wakes me up and it can last for 20 minutes, and so I’m not comfortable leaving my house to check it out.” More....

Source: Somd.comBy Sarah Polus The weeks before Christmas tend to be the most active for oyster poachers, but the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and State Police hope new technology and harsher penalties will help crack down on illegal oyster harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay.

Oyster poaching has also become a large problem over the years, because it undermines attempts at restoring oyster populations. Mostly due to overharvesting and disease, “currently less than 1 percent of historic levels of oysters exist in the bay,” Sarah Widman, a Department of Natural Resources Fishery spokeswoman said. Poaching also compromises researchers’ ability to gather data. “It’s very frustrating from a scientific perspective,” said Don Meritt, director of the Horn Point Laboratory.

According to Maryland Natural Resources Police Spokeswoman Candy Thomson, this year’s established season for legal oyster harvesting runs from Oct. 1 to the end of March.

Poaching tends to peak around Thanksgiving and Christmas, when demand for oysters goes up, increasing temptation to poach.

“Things were awfully quiet at Thanksgiving, but if its going to happen, it will at Christmas,” Thomson said.

Although hard to control, poaching is best managed through electronic surveillance. Poaching incidents have increased over the last decade because “punishment is not uniform or severe enough to really act as a deterrent,” Meritt said.

But this year, new technological developments, and the implementation of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s 10-point Oyster Restoration Plan in 2010, have contributed to a crackdown on poaching.

The implementation of the Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network now provides the Natural Resources Police with laptops and radar that work 24/7 to monitor commercial fishing practices. The network is crucial in allowing police to cover vast areas of the bay, Thomson said.

The network has two advantages over old poaching prevention methods: unlike traditional trackers, it works at night, and records everything it sees, creating evidence for legal prosecutions. This year police have also begun utilizing a helicopter equipped with a nose camera that can zoom in on poachers from distances of 8 to 10 miles away, even at night, Thomson said.

“In the not so distant past it wasn’t unusual for someone to be a multiple offender,” Thomson said. Since lawmakers have increased penalties, however, the risk of illegal harvesting is no longer just a fine. Now, poachers face immediate and permanent loss of their oyster harvesting licenses. Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 12, 86 citations and 181 warnings had been handed out this season, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police Capt. Quincy Shockley. More....

Source: Bloomberg.comBy Chris SpillaneRhinoceros poaching in South Africa has surged at least 42 percent this year with nearly a 20th of the local herd killed as the demand for their horns, which is falsely believed to cure cancer and boost sexual prowess, continued to rise. So far 946 rhinos have been poached in 2013, exceeding the 668 animals killed last year, the Department of Environmental Affairs said in an e-mailed statement today. Three hundred and thirty people have been arrested in 2013 for poaching-related offenses compared with 267 last year. Kruger National Park, an area the size of Israel that borders Mozambique, was the region most affected by poaching with 573 of the animals killed, the department said. The country’s Limpopo province was the second highest with 106. South Africa is militarizing its force of park rangers as poachers kill more rhinos to feed a market for horns in Vietnam and China. White and black rhinos were brought back from the brink of extinction in South Africa in the 1960s to a population of close to 20,000, about 90 percent of the global rhino population. Most of them are the larger white rhinos, which can weigh more than two metric tons. To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Spillane in Johannesburg at cspillane3@bloomberg.net

Source: Tribune242.comBy Sancheska BrownThirty-three Dominicans, suspected of poaching, evaded capture by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force over the weekend after they were spotted fishing illegally in waters near Cay Lobos.According to Defence Force officials, the poachers were a part of a group of 50 who have been fishing illegally in Bahamian waters since last month. Captain Tellis Bethel, Deputy Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, said RBDF officers arrested 17 Dominicans on a 70-foot fishing vessel, but the 33 poachers who were on smaller skiffs, headed for the Cuban boarder to avoid capture. “They headed south toward Cuba in the old Bahama Channel, but we have gotten reports from the Cuban Boarder Guard that they had apprehended 33 persons. Now it will be an issue for Foreign Affairs in terms of what will take place now, including advice from the Attorney Generals Office,” he said. “But getting the other poachers and their boat here to the capital took us a day’s journey. We had to bring it from the area of Cay Lobos, some 100 miles south of New Providence and we had shallow waters so we had to wait for them to rise to allow the vessel to enter our harbour. There was a large amount of fisheries resources on board so we have Immigration as well as Fisheries officials here to process the Dominican fisherman. The next course of action will be for them to be transported to the Detention Centre to be processed by Immigration authorities and Fisheries authorities. The Fisheries authorities will be pressing charges if they find them culpable of violation of our fisheries laws.” Captain Bethel said it was too early to say how much the confiscated fish and crawfish were worth, but, he said, it was a “significant find.” This latest arrest of poachers is the first for the RBDF since 2011. Captain Bethel said they will continue to maintain a great presence in that area to discourage any more poachers. He also discouraged Bahamian fishermen from approaching the poachers – as they tend to be violent. “There have been some complaints by Dominican fishermen against Bahamian fishermen. We ourselves have had some encounters to some extent, but we strongly advise local fishermen not to engage in any conflict at sea with them and to allow authorities to address the issue for their own safety and well being.” He said the RBDF will continue to keep a “watchful eye” for poachers as well as illegal immigration, drug trafficking as well as continue their search and rescue efforts. More....

Out of the rhino poached this year, 550 of them have been killed in Kruger National Park. In the last five years, a total of 1457 were reported killed in KNP. 83% of the worlds remaining rhinos exist in South Africa, making Kruger the epicenter for illegal poaching. “The game is different here at Kruger National Park because the poachers that come from other countries, particularly Mozambique, are armed with AK47s, grenades and axes. They don’t play, these poachers mean business” says Colonel Bolelo, ,who is heading anti-poaching operations at SansPark (who operates Kruger National Park).What’s Being Done

In March of 2013, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployed 265 soldiers into the Park and around the borders after a plea for help from the South African National Parks (SanParks). The soldiers are there to train, support and backup the rangers. A new high-tech Gazelle helicopter has been donated to the fight. With high-speed, night vision capabilities, it should make pursuit of poachers easier and quicker. Previously high-tech, low-speed recon planes were deployed to help track poachers in the region. The Seeker, as it was called, was donated by Paramount, the same group who donated as the Gazelle. So with the manpower combined with technology, why is poaching still so prevalent?The Crux of the ProblemSize: at 7580 sq mi, there is hardly enough manpower to monitor the vastness of the Park.Location: Being bordered by areas of high unemployment and poverty (Zimbabwe, Limpopo and Mozambique), the rhino in the Park are like diamonds in a mine waiting to be taken. More....

Source: Thisdaylive.comBy Chiemelie EzeobiThe Nigerian maritime frontiers is beset with a number of challenges. The vices on the high seas, which have necessitated the war against maritime illegalities are legion. Some of these include piracy, sea robbery, smuggling, poaching, illegal bunkering, illegal unregulated and unreported fishing, crude oil theft, drug and human trafficking and maritime terrorism. The daily perpetration of these crimes merely suggest that the war against them is far from being over. Besides other prevailing illegalities, the authorities also battle other daunting challenges of protecting offshore oil installations and facilities as well as combating seaborne insurgency and environmental degradation. The Nigerian Navy (NN) as part of its unrelenting quest to curb these vices have in times past been engaged in different exercises including African Winds, Operation Obangame, Operation Farautau and Operation Prosperity, amongst others. However, despite these exercises and operations, some of these illegalities continue to thrive, thereby prompting the NN to look beyond and within in finding lasting solutions. Therefore, as part of the Strategic Guidance 01 of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba charted the course to build optimal capacity amongst personnel as one of the ways to curb maritime illegalities. According to Ezeoba's calculations, the SG 01 which was broken into three key parts; strategic direction, capacity-building-project deliverables and critical operational objectives, would go a long way in finding a lasting solution to the challenges that has bedeviled the maritime sector for years. The document reads in part, “Piracy and other forms of illicit activities that have led to loss in revenue in billions of dollars. Therefore, given the nation’s dependence on hydrocarbon exploitation and shipping activities for economic survival, the attainment of the objectives of the National Vision 20:2020 and the Transformation Agenda are significantly hinged on progressive operational efficiency of the NN. "The emplacement of a robust and combat ready fleet is considered a fundamental pivot for the NN to achieve its mission, which is to discharge its constitutional roles and assigned tasks in a professional and efficient manner, consistent with global best practices for the defence and protection of Nigeria's territorial integrity." Therefore as part of his operational objectives, lies in robust policing functions (estate management of the sea) anchored on combating all acts of illegalities in our maritime domain such as crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, IUU Fishing, piracy and sea robbery amongst others. More....